1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to therapeutic shoes and more particularly pertains to a therapeutic shoe for assisting in the removal of callouses from a wearer's foot.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shoes designed for the purpose of both protecting a wearer's foot and providing medical or therapeutic treatment thereto are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. Design 346,062, which issued to Owens on Apr. 19, 1994, discloses a slipper having a pocket into which a therapeutic pad may be inserted. As shown in FIG. 3 of this patent, the pad may be positioned against the heel of a wearer, and the slipper may then be fastened shut to retain the pad in position. As such, the slipper functions to both protect the wearer's foot while operating to retain a medical treatment pad in a desired location.
Another typical medical treatment type shoe is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,056 which issued to Menghi et al. on Jun. 21, 1994. This patent discloses a self-massaging insole for slippers and is utilized in combination with such slippers to achieve a combined foot protection and medical treatment function.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,599, which issued to Krippelz on Sep. 12, 1978, discloses a slip-on type shoe which is constructed of bubble wrap so as to be formed of a plurality of sealed air cells of sufficient strength to support the weight of a wearer while providing a cushioning and ventilating effect to the wearer's feet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,851, which issued to Yamada on Feb. 25, 1986, is relevant to the construction of the present invention inasmuch as it discloses a slipper-like shoe which is symmetrically shaped along its axial length so as to be utilizable with either foot of a wearer. While eliminating the need for a left shoe and a right shoe, this patent does not disclose any means of providing a medical treatment in combination with a conventional foot covering function.
The callous removing shoe according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides a shoe construction which may provide a medical function while eliminating the need for a specially designed left foot and right foot construction. As opposed to providing medical treatment in the form of cushioning and massaging, the present invention is designed to remove callouses from the foot of a wearer with this concept and function not being disclosed in the prior art.